Shooting in the Dark
by WolfKeeper989
Summary: After “Backfired”, Jinx reawakens to find that her team has left her and that she has been severely handicapped. She decides to try being good, it’s either that or the dehumanizing rehabilitation program that the government has cooked up. JxF R R plz


Hey, it's Wolfkeeper again! Here's that new story!

Disclaimer: Wolfkeeper989 does not own Teen Titans, just the story idea.

**Shooting in the Dark**

**Chapter 1**

**Crawling in the Dark**

Jinx slowly crawled back to the world of consciousness. As soon as she did, the sorceress instantly regretted it. Pain unlike anything that she had ever felt tore through her body. She fought desperately to remember what had happened to her, and then bit by bit it started coming back to her. She remembered visiting the Taj Mahal with Kid Flash. Then the scene at the museum flashed across her mind and not much else after that. The pain had begun to subside at this point time, she opened her eyes only find that she was in complete and total darkness. As she became more alert, she felt the slight tickle of cloth on her eyes. When she tried to lift her hands to remove the cloth from her eyes, she found that her hands were bound by soft restraints. She immediately became agitated and charged up her powers to break the cuffs. But she received a nasty surprise when an almost paralyzing burning sensation shot up her arms and hands. She opened her mouth to cry out in pain and immediately stopped the flow of her powers. Then she realized that no one had come running or even reprimanded her when she screamed. Or at when she had opened her mouth to scream. She tried screaming again but heard no sound. Jinx was now becoming very annoyed and even a little frightened. Jinx's vision was obscured and now apparently she could not hear, either. Was she having a dream? She tried to move her hand again and jumped when it hit the cold metal close to it, making a metallic clanking sound. So she could hear that was good and she had another clue as to where she was. She could tell that she was lying on a bed and after hitting the metal, she realized that it not just a bed but a hospital bed. But just as she was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable with her situation, she heard two voices speaking from a distance…

Kid Flash had finally stopped running but his heart was still racing. The image of poor Jinx trapped underneath that chandelier would forever be engrained in his memory. He had followed immediately after the cue ball when he had flown through the roof. But the coward threw a smoke bomb in his face and disappeared. As the hero moved back towards the museum the scanner built into his suit picked up a transmission between two police officers. They had apprehended 4 of the 6 members of the HIVE FIVE. Then a dispatcher came over the air saying that Gizmo was being tailed by policemen heading away from the crime scene, which meant that Jinx was still no where to be found. He headed back to the museum to survey the damage. As he walked the police chief through the scenario that had brought the chandelier down, the chief tripped on a piece of debris. When Kid looked down to see what had nearly toppled the chief, he spotted a hand that matched the gray fodder surrounding it. He instantly gasped and at the same time started moving the broken concrete and glass. After a moment, the arm that the hand was attached to became visible. Then a shoulder and then the head of a seriously cut up and bruised Jinx appeared. Kid Flash knew that Jinx needed medical attention fast, so he ran to the top of the pile and started running circles in place. He created a twister that began lifting the concrete into the air then directed through the hole in the roof and laid the debris in a neat pile outside the museum before speeding back inside and scooping Jinx into his arms and blazing to the nearest hospital. Now he was standing in front of the doctor as she gave him the run down on Jinx's condition.

"Fortunately, no life threatening injuries were found but unfortunately, there were some injuries that were very serious." stated the doctor. Kid Flash's eyes widened in dismay.

"H-how bad are they?" he asked quietly. Doctor McCullen shook her head, she had worked on many cases with him and she knew that Kid Flash was a smart kid and probably knew just about as much as she did about medicine, barring her experience. So, she dove in head first.

"She received to severe injuries to her head. The first major injury was in her occipital lobe, which caused her to lose her vision. Then the second was in her temporal lobe, we believe that this injury happened after she went unconscious. The damage was severe enough to cause her to lose speech ability as well." answered the doctor.

"Are these… injuries… uh, p-permanent?" he inquired shakily. She nodded forlornly. Oh poor Jinx! She was severely handicapped for the rest of her life!

"But that is not even the worst of it, KF. The city's has practically banned us from helping her, unless it's to keep her from dying. They want to use this situation to stifle her crime spree." She groused. Kid Flash's eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"What does that mean, exactly?" he asked tightly, fearing the worst.

"Now that she is stable, I cannot treat her any further. That means that no one can teach her to communicate or even decently navigate the world outside of this hospital. They want her completely helpless and that is making me sick to my stomach. Not only does it violate my oath as a doctor but it also a scary foreshadowing of what life will become for all metahumans: heroes, innocents, and villains alike. But I am really worried that they might send her to prison in her condition, guards and prisoners could easily harm her especially with her muscles in such terrible shape."

"What do you mean her muscles are in terrible shape?" he asked urgently. Dr. McCullen shrugged.

"We're not sure, KF, but her muscle tissue was significantly damaged all over her body, leaving her body very weak. She would probably need a lot of physical strengthening and therapy before she would ever walk again. Even then she would not be able to do any really strenuous activity for long periods of time. But we still don't know what happened to her that would cause that type of damage to her body as whole in such a short period of time. Would you, KF?" she asked the stunned hero. Kid Flash bullied through his shock and thought for a moment.

"From what I know of her powers, she is like an entropy accelerator. Her hexes can cause the objects that they come in contact with to deteriorate almost instantly." said Kid Flash with a shrug. The doctor's eyes lit up for a moment.

"What if her own powers were destroying her body from the inside out?" she suggested.

"That is a good thought, but she has been in prime fight fighting condition whenever she fought with me or the Titans. Unless…" Kid's voice faded away as vague memory from earlier played in his mind, he groaned. He remembered being hit from behind by something while he was fighting in the museum. "I had a special energy repelling force field installed into my suit before confronting the Hive Five at the museum, her hex could have bounced off me and hit her…" he muttered.

"But KF, she has used her powers many times before then and it never seemed to affect her, why now?"

"Maybe it messed up whatever mechanism that her body used to protect itself from her power. My body is specially designed so that it puts out a lot of energy and heat so that I don't burn up when I am running, so I am sure that something was protecting her body. Then when the hex hit her, it tore down that defense or damaged it so some of the hex magic got to her muscles and deteriorated them. So it would probably be dangerous for her to use her powers now because it could hurt or even kill her." suggested Kid Flash. Dr. McCullen nodded slightly, impressed with his logic.

"Maybe, and once the spell shorted out, no further damage was done to her body. But—" she stopped.

"What? What?" Kid Flash asked in hurry.

"She doesn't know yet." said the doctor.

"She doesn't know… yet? Why… not?" asked the teen hero tersely. The doctor realized that this girl meant something to the young teen.

"She been asleep for the last couple of hours, no one has checked on her for awhile, for all we know she could still be sleeping. But I think that you should leave, Kid. I have told you too much already, and I can see that you are upset by all of this. So go take a walk or run, if you prefer it, but you need to leave before the police find you here." said the doctor. He nods quietly and speeds off…

Jinx felt an icy numbness begin to spread through her body. She was blind and… mute. Jinx, the renowned Jump City thief, was no more. She was as helpless as a newborn kitten and the police were ecstatic and wanted to ensure that she stayed that way. What about her reputation, her team, her life in general? She was now their prisoner and there was nothing she could do. She felt absolutely helpless and she absolutely hated, no, _loathed_ that feeling. Jinx let the loathing and rage fill her body and chase off the taboo emotions of vulnerability and fear. The raw anger was a comfort to Jinx, it was something familiar. She wanted nothing more than to release it on something but as soon as her eyes began to glow, they also began to burn. All of Jinx's anger evaporated as her hands flew to her eyes in a frantic attempt to make the pain stop. She rubbed at her burning eyes in vain, trying to claw through the gauze that was wrapped around her eyes. The burning persisted and she opened her mouth and began screaming a silent scream. As her panic and pain escalated to almost unbearable heights; the burning spread down her body into her arms and hands. She continued to scream although no one could hear it. She knew that she had to calm herself down or else the pain was never going to end. All of a sudden, a melody entered her mind. It was a Hindi lullaby that her mother used to sing to her before they were separated. She began to mouth the words to herself.

So jaa

So jaa raajkumaari so jaa

So jaa main balihaari so jaa

So jaa raajkumaari so jaa

So jaa mithe sapane aaen

Sapanon men pee daras dikhaayen

Sapanon men pee daras dikhaayen

Ud kar roopnagar men jaayen

Ud kar roopnagar men jaayen

Roopnagar ki sakhiyaan aaen

Roopnagar ki sakhiyaan aaen

Raajaaji maala pahanaayen

Raajaaji maala pahanaayen

Choome maang tihaaree jaa

So jaa raajkumaari so jaa…

Jinx felt the pain in her eyes begin to fade. Then she felt the prickle of tears as she started to cry for the first time in years…

Kid Flash ran and ran the tears that were streaming from his eyes evaporated before they made it half way down his face. It was his fault, if he had been faster or paying more attention; Jinx would not be in the mess that she was in. He was also feeling the sting of self incriminating reality. He had just left a press conference with the Chief of Police and the Mayor of Jump City. It had been decided that Jinx would be transported to a new holding facility where she will be detained indefinitely for the rest of her life since it was the third time that she had been caught committing a felony crime; she had escaped prison the other two times. But had he really done the right thing? In his mind, Kid Flash knew that he had given Jinx to the keepers of her earthly hell and that this girl was going to suffer for the rest of her days. She was blind and mute… he could only imagine what the guards could and would do to her. What should he do? Then he suddenly knew what he needed to do… He needed to go to Hell's Kitchen and plead with the Devil for Jinx's soul…

Matt Murdock aka the Daredevil was perched on top of an apartment building, in the rain, enjoying one of his rare glimpses of the city he protected. Then in the next moment a strange shape obscured his vision and then he heard a familiar voice say,

"Hiya DD!" Daredevil smiled and replied with a chuckle,

"Hey KF," The teen hero looked the same as he did the last time he had "seen" the boy; give or take a few inches. Batman had sent Robin and Kid Flash to him a while back for a little training in improvising. Matt remembered those days fondly, even the ones where Robin's obsession with perfection and Kid Flash's hyperactive personality drove him to the point of insanity. But he could tell from the boy's stance and heart rate that he was distressed about something. "I suppose that you did not come by to just say hi, did you?" said the hero. Kid Flash just shook his head. Matt got up and stretched before saying, "Let's go back to my place and discuss it." He saw Kid nod and then disappear. Matt starting running and jumped off of the building and made his way back to his apartment.

When Daredevil arrived, Kid Flash was waiting for him by the door. Matt let him in and followed closing the door behind him. Daredevil changed into some more comfortable clothing before he joined Kid Flash in the living room. As Matt walked into the room, he smelled salt. That only meant one thing, Kid Flash was crying. That was one reason that Daredevil did not like taking on apprentices, because Matt knew from experience that being forced to grow up quickly was neither a perfect nor painless process that left many people struggling to make it from day to day in their adult lives. He went to his couch and sat beside Kid Flash.

Kid Flash did not know that Matt had reentered the room until he sat down on the couch next to him. He had been trying to control his tears but they continued to pour down his face without his consent. Matt spoke first,

"So are you going to tell me what is bothering you?" asked the lawyer. Kid took a deep breathe and said,

"First, I want to ask you something. There is no such thing as good and evil is there?" Matt's eyebrow leapt up.

"Well, Wally, of course there is such a thing as good and evil, the concept is just complex." He replied.

"Complex?" parroted Kid Flash.

"Yes, because who is truly evil and the people that a truly good are not as easy to spot as some of the villains that we face as heroes. For example, a kid is born into a financially well off family and then there is another kid born into a family that is not as fortunate. Which one do you think would grow up to be a problem in society?" asked Matt.

"It could be either one, the rich kid could become too spoiled or the poor kid could become too jealous." answered Wally. Matt nodded.

"As heroes, we learn very quickly to look on both sides of the track to find our villains and victims. But what about this concept is troubling you?"

"I understand the basic concept of what villains and victims are but I guess I am having trouble understanding how far our duties go as heroes." said Wally softly. He watched Matt frown slightly.

"Tell me exactly what is going on, KF." He said. Wally did as he was told Matt about his situation with Jinx first. The lawyer stopped him in the middle of his story to clarify some facts.

"So, do you have _feelings_ for this thief?" he asked. Wally could not bring himself to lie, he did care for Jinx. He nodded softly before he realized that Matt could not see the gesture and spoke his affirmation. Matt seemed to ponder the situation for a moment. Then the superhero frowned. Wally had already prepared himself for a scolding but was surprised when all Matt asked was,

"Do you believe that these feelings are clouding your judgment?" Wally gaped a moment before he sputtered out,

"You're not going to scold me for liking a well known Jump City thief?!" The lawyer shook his head in negation.

"No, because many superheroes, including some major Justice Leaguers and myself, have fallen prey to the wiles of the many roughish women that we have encountered. So what is the point of scolding you for what I may have done in my own past? But Wally, I will say that you need to be careful and wise about how you handle this situation."

"I will," Wally promised. Then Matt waved his hand, signaling for Wally to continue. Kid Flash then explained all the dates that they had been on together and then revealed what happened at the Museum and the aftermath. Matt stayed silent for a few moments. Kid was being to worry when the lawyer finally spoke saying,

"You are worried that this girl will now be in grave danger if she is sent to prison in her current condition. Is this correct?"

"Yeah, but it's not just that I am worried about. I am also worried that justice is not really being served in this situation, and I am worried that this hysteria concerning metahumans might be getting out of hand." Matt nodded in agreement.

"I have often pondered over some of the very same worries in my mind as well. There are many youth out in this world with powers like you and it worries me that their futures are so uncertain. There are not many places for these people to go and society fears them. Because of this, no one is willing to take them in to try to help and understand them. So then, people like your thief, Jinx, are just lost to the rehabilitation system. So this situation basically leaves you wondering whether or not innocence is something that is permanent or temporary or if it is dependent on the situations, right?"

"Yeah, that's it exactly!" replied Kid excitedly.

"Well then Kid, I can't help you." Matt said with a sad shrug of his shoulders. Kid Flash's face fell immediately.

"B-But why?" he sputtered after a moment.

"Because, that decision is yours to make and yours alone, Kid." He said simply. "We as heroes have to decide who can be saved and who should be saved. First, you must decide that this girl needs to be saved, then you must compare the pros and cons of attempting to save her, and whether or not it may have an adverse effect on the world if you do save her. Once you are sure of your decision, then you have to convince others to agree with you." said Matt. Wally looked down at the floor and sighed.

"But what if they don't believe or assume that I am being blinded by my own feelings, then what?" asked Kid. Matt grinned sardonically.

"You have to keep on trying until they do believe you, Kid. But if it helps, think as if you were me. I have to convince a jury of independent minded thinkers that my client is innocent. Unlike you, I may not know any of the jurors personally. So, I have to make assumptions about what I could say that might pull at their hearts and minds. On the other hand, Kid, you know most of your jury members well. The Justice League might be persuaded to listen to your thieving friend's case but convincing them to let her off the hook might be hard but not completely impossible, if you know enough about them to sway them to your cause." said Matt. "If you had to think of a strategy right now Kid, what would it be?"

"I…don't know…ummm…" Kid paused as he began to dig through his memory for anything useful that stood out to him. Most of the memories that came to his mind, were the ones of him getting in trouble with many of the Justice Leaguers because of stupid pranks he pulled like dying Superman's cape green or tagging the Batmobile with pink silly string. Then another memory surfaced, a very animated Wonder Woman was chewing out Batman for his way less than gentlemanly escapades involving the women he had dated. Kid grinned. "I could mention how high the chances were that Jinx would be sexually assaulted multiple times, especially since she could not scream for help. That would get the attention of the female members, especially Wonder Woman." Matt burst out laughing.

"Kid, that…ha ha ha…would be… absolutely… priceless!" he gasped and Kid Flash joined in his laughter…

Jinx had been half-asleep for at least an hour now. All of the crying that she had done earlier had worn her out. She shifted in the bed as much as her restraints would allow. Then she heard her door creek open. Her heart began to pick up speed. She listened as heavy footsteps approached the bed. She whimpered silently. The she felt a weight on the end of the bed. Inside her head she screaming but the only thing that one could see on the outside was the tears that seemed to magically appear from beneath the bandages on her eyes. She had imagined that this would have happened to her at least once but she was hoping that it would not have been this soon. She cringed as she felt someone's hot breath on her face. Even though she could not see, she still squeezed her shut in fear as whomever they were pulled the sheet down and exposed her body to the cold night air. She resigned herself to her fate as she heard the growl of a pant's zipper and thought sardonically how Jump City's worst fem fatale had become some complete stranger's bitch. She screamed silently when he leaned down and whispered cruelly in her ear,

"Tell me how you like it."…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Sorry, it took so long to get this done! I hope you guys will enjoy this story and I will update this as soon as I can! Thanks for the wonderful response to Backfired. Please review and I will get started on chapter 2. **


End file.
